elventower

239 Verdant Portal

Heya! Denizens of the Tower!

This is Ardennia's seventh chosen location. the Verdant Portal. It is an old portal in the middle forest of the kingdom. According to the kingdom's lore, this is the portal that facilitated the movement of a fey army when the last human king accepted help from the Feywild in exchange of marrying Ai'Haranna. These days it is not used much but the location remains a practical way to travel back and forth from the Feywild.

The illustration comes with the ...

238 Thornhead's Hideout

Hey friends and followers!

I've released part 6 of my multimap project. This is the hideout of a resistance group named the Thornhead. Their objective is to overthrow a dryad queen and put a human back on the throne. Who would be the new human king, you ask?  Well, a descendant of the last human king is said to be with them. Whether that's true or not is anyone's guess.

My followers on Patreon helped by brainstorming and choosing the main features of this kingdom-sized settin...

238 Thornhead's Hideout (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 238 Thornhead's Hideout. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been ra...

238 Thornhead's Hideout

Hey there, Denizens of the Tower!

Here's the next most voted for location in the Ardennian Kingdom. This is the largest hideout of the Thornheads. The Thornheads are a separatist group who wish to overthrow Queen Ai'Haranna and put a human back on the throne. Their leader claims to be a descendant of one of the last human king's bastards. The masses follow him so far on that claim. They still remain inactive as they continue to gather strength and more allies. The hideout is hidden in a...

An extraplanar observatory!

Hi there, friends and followers.

Together with my supporters on Patreon, I'm creating a kingdom-sized setting we've named Ardennia, Bastion of the West. This is the fifth location we've detailed within that place. This is an arcane observatory with the power to scry any area in any plane. A very powerful tool. But it is protected by two mysterious figures.

The first is the spirit of a red dragon, the other is an aloof arcanaloth who hides more than is apparent.

Pledge today ...

237 The Eye of the West (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 237 The Eye of the West. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been ra...

237 The Eye of the West

Hi, there, Denizens of the Tower!

This is part 5 of the multimap project for the Ardennian Kingdom. The eye of the west is an arcane observatory near a mountaintop. The device that powers the observatory is shaped like an eye and functions by projecting tridimensional images you can see from the third floor. It can see into any location of any plane. It is quite a powerful artifact. The spirit of a red dragon protects the place and poses a fearsome trial for any would-be visitors. The o...

236 Chromatic Shrine

S strange location has been unearthed. The chromatic shrine is an old underground complex with the ability to imbue any mundane item with magic. The precise method by which the arcane forge is used is not clear but there is a chance that the necessary information lies within. There are weird tales of strong guardians awaiting to try any visitors. A few people have gone in but no one has ever returned. Are they dead? Did they find a way out of the material world?

The Chromatic Shrine is ...

236 Chromatic Shrine (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 236 Chromatic Shrine. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been raste...

236 Chromatic Shrine

Hey Denizens of the Tower

This is the next part of the Ardennian Kingdom multi-map project. The Chromatic Shrine. Now that looks flashy! But let me tell you something. It looked terrible when I was coloring it and trying to achieve the color effects. This one really had me out of my comfort zone but I am really happy with the result. It looks flashy!

There's the usual versions and some lore and descriptions for the different locations. You are, of course, encouraged to use it as i...

Part #3 of our collective creation process - a dungeon

Hey travelers,

This is the third part and first dungeon of my Ardennian Kingdom Saga.

My supporters on Patreon chose this location for me to illustrate and detail. It's an old elvish shrine that marked a rite of passage/ gift, for accomplished warriors in their tribe. It does not work anymore because a mirror is out of place and the rays of light do not focus on the bathing pond anymore.

Pledge today and get access to this awesome resource and many more!

235 Shrine of the Sun and Moon

Here's the .psd file for 235 Shrine of the Sun and Moon. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have ...

235 Shrine of the Sun and Moon

Hey y'all Denizens of the Tower

Part 3! and the first dungeon in the Ardennian Kingdom Saga. This is the Shrine of the Sun and Moon. A known place that many pilgrims visit every year for their own reasons. No one really knows what was the original purpose of the place except that it was built by an old elvish civilization. It is supposed to be a kind of rite of passage/gift, for great warriors but it does not work anymore because a mirror in Area 8 is out of place, throwing the whole th...

Ardennia, the Capital - 2nd installment of the multimap project.

My supporters on Patreon voted for this location to be illustrated. I gave them a wide variety of possible locations for this month and this one was the most popular. We are creating a kingdom-sized setting where fey creatures are the rulers.

Come on board and be part of future projects such as this one!

234 Ardennia, the Capital (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 234 Ardennia, the Capital. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been ...

234 Ardennia, the Capital

Alright, this is the first zoom-in map of Ardennia. This is the capital. I like how it came out. I expanded on the lore of the capital and also included some short descriptions of some interesting locales in the city. I hope you're enjoying the step by step creation of this kingdom, I sure am.

I've included the maps in the usual variants, some without labels and also B/W and grayscale for all tastes ;)

I leave you for now while I start illustrating the Shrine of the Sun and Moon, ...

Ardennian Locations Poll Results

Hello Denizens of the Tower. I waited a few days for the poll results to fill in. I've gotten 91 responses so far which is great! Here are the 7-8 locations to illustrate this month in order of popularity:

• 1.- Ardennia, the capital.
• 2.- Shrine of the Sun and Moon
• 3.- Chromatic shrine
• 4.- Eye of the West
• 5.- Thornheads Hideout
• 6.- Verdant Portal
• 7.- Dracotia (city)
• 8.- Fa'thang Ruins

Now I have a quick quest...

Please answer this poll!

Hi, Denizens of the Tower.

I just released the regional map of Ardennia and a description of its lore and important locations HERE. Please review it and then select your favorite locations which I will map next. The seven or eight more popular will get a map this month. You can select multiple locations.

THE POLL IS HERE ...

Ardennia, our first multi-map project

Travelers, this is the regional map of Ardennia, Bastion of the West. It is the first release in a series of related articles within this area. This month, I will create maps and lore of 7-8 different locations in this region. Perhaps I will continue with the rest next month.

Pledge today to get all these goddies but not only that. I'm polling my supporters for their favorite locations and they are an integral part in the creation of this project.

233 Ardennia, Bastion of the West (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 233 Ardennia, Bastion of the West. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects ha...

233 Ardennia, Bastion of the West

Hello! Denizens of the Tower.

this is the first step towards creating a multi-map, multi-lore project. This is Ardennia, Bastion of the West. A kingdom sized map ruled by an oligarchy of fey nobility. Things were not like this before, the history of the past two hundred years has changed the kingdom. I invite you all to read the PDF document where I included background lore, factions, and short descriptions of most locations in the map. Because of this, this document is twice as long as...

Survey Results!

Hello, Denizens of the Tower.

I had far a stronger response for the survey than I expected. Eighty people participated and these are the results.

1. Geography will be heavily forested, strong mountain ranges, and near a coastline.

2.Settlements: one big capital, several cities, and lots of villages.

3.Name: Ardennia, Bastion of the West

4. Government is a Monstruocracy!

5. Lots of comments ...

Official Kingdom multi map SURVEY

A small kingdom it is, by popular demand according to the last poll.so, the way this is going to work. I'll first do the regional kingdom map. I will include a version with a hex grid to encourage hex crawls. Using D&D rules for kingdom mapping. Each hex will amount to 6 miles, which equals 2 hours worth of travel. A party at normal pace can cover 24 miles in eight hours of travel. That's plenty of space for interesting locations. I will keep the adventure types between levels 1 to 10 as ...

A temple in the sky with a mysterious music box

Travelers, this illustration is something I'd wanted to do for a while. A dungeon broken into pieces and floating in the sky. Probably the safest way to get there is via teleportation. I included background lore for this place with an interesting story which deviates from my usual stuff. A more narrative-oriented story which may or may not come into play, depending on how you use it.

Happy new year to all of you! You're all in my heart. I hope you get to spend the evening with your fami...

232 Floating Temple (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for 232 Floating Temple. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been raster...

232 Floating Temple

Heya! Denizens of the Tower.

We've reached the end of the year and 2019 is just around the corner. Be sure to consult and vote in the polls about January's multi-map project. Second poll goes live in a few minutes.

Now, this illustration is something I'd wanted to do for a while. A dungeon broken into pieces and floating in the sky. Probably the safest way to get there is via teleportation. I included background lore for this place with an interesting story which deviates from my ...

About multi-map regional projects.

Alright, I'm coming up with some ideas for multi-map projects for next year. It would work like this. First I'd make a city, or regional map. The region would be small in scale, think of it like a city, province, or a small kingdom or country. I'd poll you all guys about interesting points of interest you would like to have featured in the big map. Probably 6 to 8 of them. (To make it a month's worth of work).

Then I'd illustrate and write up stuff for all of these places. In the end, w...

A new journey in the one-page-dungeon series

Hello travelers.

This adventure is about a hidden magical location with the power to cleanse a person or object from any kind of curse. So all you have to do is put a curse on a party member and reveal this place as the only possible option for curing it, or something like that. The place was recently overrun by mothmen! You're free to stat these baddies ;)

This release is for patrons only. Feel free to sign in to find about all these adventures I write myself. On the other hand, ...

OP12 - Rite of Cleansing (Photoshop)

Here's the .psd file for OP12 - Rite of Cleansing. Notice that it is necessary to have Photoshop to use it. Inside you will find that it is all white. That is the uppermost layer, I only use it to make the file preview smaller in size. Once you remove that uppermost layer you'll see the illustration. (it's just one click)

Most of the illustration elements are properly named and arranged in folders in the layer area. Some assets like textures or smart objects have been r...

One Page Dungeon 12 - Rite of Cleansing

Hello, Denizens of the Tower, friends, supporters. Merry Holidays!

Here's the twelveth installment of the one-page-dungeon series. The objective is to create self-contained adventures/dungeons with all things necessary to spawn fun adventures in a single page.  The adventures are system neutral so no rules or mechanics are included.

This adventure is about a hidden magical location with the power to cleanse a person or object from any kind of curse. So all you have to do is p...